Pioneering NHS Air Cleaning Research in Bedford

East London NHS Foundation Trust, which provides NHS mental health care in the borough, has launched a research project using Quality Improvement (QI) tools to study the benefits of units in removing airborne pathogens and improving air quality in the enclosed environment of a mental health inpatient site. The research is thought to be the first of its kind in a mental health inpatient unit in the UK. The project is an extension of a study led by Cambridge University Hospitals Trust which has seen similar testing take place for physical health inpatient wards at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Fountains Court is a 26-bed acute assessment unit for older people with mental illness. Six air cleaning units have been installed with discreet housing covers and are all ligature-proof. The research at ELFT is a joint programme involving clinical and estates teams. “This is an incredibly exciting piece of work that has been started in response to the COVID pandemic and through a renewed focus on air quality,” said David Stevens, Director of Estates, Facilities & Capital Development. “We believe we are the first mental health Trust to carry out this research with the objective of really understanding how improved air quality can help where patients have longer stays and different illnesses compared to physical health wards at acute hospitals.” Suzy Enoh-Arthur, Bedford community mental health clinical lead, is the principal QI lead for the ELFT project. Suzy emphasised the project involves estates, clinical colleagues and co-production through the involvement of service user family and friends from the outset. “The hope for everyone involved is that this could ultimately help improve infection prevention and control for the Trust and the wider NHS,” she added. The equipment has been provided by research and development company AirPurity, which also supported the research at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and is advising NHS England. AirPurity CEO Darren Sloof said the units at Addenbrooke’s had dramatically reduced ward closures by preventing the transmission of pathogens including norovirous and ecoli. The official launch of the project was held at Fountains Court on Friday, July 7, 2023.

It was attended by ELFT clinical and estates teams, Darren Sloof and Cllr Martin Towler, Bedford Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Health, Public Health and Wellbeing.